WO2020170974A1

WO2020170974A1 - Management device, management method, and management system

Info

Publication number: WO2020170974A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/005828
Authority: WO
Inventors: チャリスラサンタフェルナンド; ヤンロッド; 高志岩佐; 仁富岡; 雄一郎彦坂; 山中　宏治
Original assignee: Ｔｅｌｅｘｉｓｔｅｎｃｅ株式会社
Priority date: 2019-02-19
Filing date: 2020-02-14
Publication date: 2020-08-27
Also published as: JP2020135362A; JP6978453B2

Abstract

This management device 1 has: an information acquisition unit 131 that acquires state information indicating the state of a robot 2 or the state of an operator U when the operator U is operating the robot 2; a determination unit 132 that compares the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U indicated by the state information with a preset reference level, thereby determining the degree of competence with which the operator U is operating the robot 2; and a storage control unit 133 that associates the degree of competence with operator identification information for identifying the operator U, and stores the degree of competence in a storage unit 12.

Description

Management device, management method, and management system

The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a management system for managing the suitability of an operator who operates a robot.

A system for operating a robot using an operating device is known. Patent Document 1 discloses that a user of a robot operated by an operator evaluates the operation content of the operator.

International Publication No. 2008/140011

When the robot user evaluates the operator, evaluate the operator based on the event that the user can see. However, when the user evaluates the operator based on the visible event, there is a risk that the important event may be overlooked or a subjective evaluation may be performed when the operator is evaluated. It is possible that the evaluation result of is not appropriate.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to improve the estimation accuracy of the suitability of the robot operator.

The management device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a management device for managing an operator who operates a robot. The management device includes an information acquisition unit that acquires state information indicating a state of the robot or a state of the operator when the operator operates the robot, and a state of the robot or the operation indicated by the state information. By associating the determination unit for determining the suitability for the operator to operate the robot by comparing the state of the operator with a predetermined reference level, and the operator identification information for identifying the operator. And a storage control unit that stores the suitability in the storage unit.

The information acquisition unit acquires the state information indicating a plurality of states of the robot or a plurality of states of the operator when the operator operates the robot a plurality of times, and the determination unit determines the state. The suitability may be determined based on a plurality of states of the robot or a plurality of states of the operator indicated by the information.

The determination unit is a machine learning model that outputs information indicating the suitability in response to the state of the robot or the state of the operator being input, and the state of the robot or the operator indicated by the state information. The aptitude may be determined based on the information output from the machine learning model by inputting the state.

The information acquisition unit acquires, as the state of the operator, the state information indicating the mood of the operator after the operator operates the robot, and the determination unit determines the operation indicated by the state information. The suitability may be determined based on the mood of the person.

The information acquisition unit notifies the operator of a predetermined test scenario, and indicates the state of the robot or the state of the operator when the operator operates the robot based on the test scenario. You may acquire state information.

The determination unit does not use the state information indicating the state of the robot or the state of the operator while the state of the robot operated by the operator is in an abnormal state, and the state around the robot. The suitability may be determined by using the state information indicating the state of the robot or the state of the operator performed while the state is normal.

The storage control unit may store the aptitude level in the storage unit in association with robot identification information that identifies a plurality of different robots.

The determination unit is configured to allow the operator to operate from the plurality of robots based on the suitability and the robot identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information. A robot may be selected.

The determination unit may select one or more scenarios from a plurality of scenarios used when operating the robot, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information. ..

The determining unit selects one or more operating devices from a plurality of operating devices used when operating the robot, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information. Good.

The determination unit determines, based on the suitability, an action that the robot can perform when the operator operates the robot, and determines the action determined for the robot that the operator operates. Data indicating the content may be transmitted.

The determination unit selects, based on the suitability, auxiliary content to be notified to the operator when the operator operates the robot, and notifies the operator of data indicating the selected auxiliary content. Good.

The determining unit may select, as the auxiliary content, content indicating an operation content when another operator having a suitability higher than the suitability of the operator operates the robot. The determination unit may determine the presentation mode of the auxiliary content based on the resistance of the operator to remote operation indicated by the suitability.

The determining unit may determine an environmental condition that affects the operability of the robot, which allows the operator to operate the robot, based on the suitability.

The information acquisition unit further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator operating the robot, and the determination unit determines the content of the business indicated by the business information and the suitability. Based on, the reward amount for the operator may be determined.

The information acquisition unit further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator operating the robot, and the determination unit determines the plurality of suitability levels corresponding to the plurality of operators. On the basis of the plurality of operators, one or more operators who are allowed to carry out the task indicated by the task information may be selected.

The determining unit may determine the order or time for each of the one or more operators to perform the operation of the robot by referring to the plurality of aptitudes stored in the storage unit.

The management device acquires the operation content of the operator, corrects the operation content based on the suitability, creates instruction information for operating the robot, and creates the instruction information as described above. You may further have the instruction transmission part which transmits to a robot.

It may further include a display control unit that causes an information terminal to display information indicating whether or not the operator is operating the robot in association with the suitability of the operator determined by the determination unit.

A management method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a management method executed by a computer for managing an operator who operates a robot, wherein a state of the robot when the operator operates the robot or The operator acquires the status information indicating the status of the operator, and the status of the robot indicated by the status information or the status of the operator is compared with a predetermined reference level, whereby the operator controls the robot. The method includes the steps of determining the suitability for operation and storing the suitability in a storage unit in association with operator identification information for identifying the operator.

The management system according to the third aspect of the present invention includes a robot, an operation device used by an operator to operate the robot, and a management device for managing the operator. The operation device manages the instruction transmission unit that transmits instruction information indicating the content operated by the operator to the robot, and the operator state information indicating the state of the operator when the operator operates. An operator status transmission unit for transmitting to the apparatus.

The robot includes an instruction receiving unit that receives the instruction information, a mechanism control unit that controls a mechanism based on the instruction information, and a robot state that indicates a state of the robot after the mechanism control unit controls the mechanism. A robot status transmission unit that transmits information to the management device.

The management device includes an information acquisition unit that acquires the robot state information indicating the state of the robot or the operator state information when the operator operates the robot, and the state of the robot indicated by the robot state information. Alternatively, by comparing the state of the operator indicated by the operator state information with a predetermined reference level, a determination unit that determines the suitability for the operator to operate the robot, and the operator. A storage control unit that stores the suitability in a storage unit in association with operator identification information for identification.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the suitability of the robot operator.

It is a figure which shows the outline of a robot control system. It is a figure which shows the function structure of a management apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of an operator database. It is a figure which shows the function structure of a robot. It is a figure which shows the function structure of an operating device. It is a figure which shows the flow of a process of a management system when a management apparatus transmits instruction information to a robot. It is a figure which shows the structure of the management apparatus which a management apparatus transmits after correction|amendment instruction information to a robot.

[Outline of Management System S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the management system S. The management system S includes a management device 1, a robot 2, and an operating device 3. The management system S makes the operator U who operates the robot 2 feel that an object or person in a remote place exists nearby, and controls the operation of the robot in the vicinity of an object or person in a remote place. This is a system that provides a telegraph presence environment that the operator U performs in real time. Although FIG. 1 shows one operator U, one operating device 3, and one robot 2, the management system S includes a plurality of operators U, a plurality of operating devices 3, and a plurality of operating devices 3. It is assumed that the robot 2 is managed.

The management device 1 is a server for managing an operator U who operates the robot 2. The management device 1 determines the suitability for the operator U to operate the robot 2, and stores the suitability in association with the operator U. The operator who uses the management system S uses the suitability of the operator U managed by the management device 1 so that the operator can safely operate the robot 2 and a plurality of operators who operate the robot 2 can be used. Among the jobs, it is possible to request the operator to perform a job suitable for the operator U. The suitability is the suitability for the operator U to operate the robot 2. Details of the suitability will be described later.

The robot 2 is a device that operates based on the instruction information received from the operating device 3 via the network N. The network N includes, for example, the Internet and a mobile phone network. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the robot 2 has the same head, arms, legs, and the like as a human, and each part operates following the movement of the body of an operator U who operates the robot 2. The robot 2 is equipped with an image sensor, a microphone, or various sensors, and uses a captured image generated by the image sensor, sound information collected by the microphone, or sensory detected sensory information such as temperature, vibration, and pressure as an operating device. Send to 3.

The operation device 3 is a device for the operator U to control the robot 2. The operation device 3 includes, for example, an operation tool worn by the operator U and a cockpit including a communication unit that notifies the robot 2 of the state of the operation tool of the operator U. The operation device 3 identifies the motion of the operator U wearing the operation tool and transmits instruction information indicating the specified motion to the robot 2. In the operation device 3, for example, the cockpit specifies the operation of the operator U based on the signal received from the sensor included in the operation tool worn by the operator U. The cockpit may irradiate the operator U with infrared light and specify the operation of the operator U based on the reflected light of the irradiated infrared light. The cockpit may identify the operation of the operator U by analyzing an image of the operator U taken by the camera.

Further, the operation device 3 may notify the operation tool worn by the operator U of the captured image and the sensory information received from the robot 2 via the network N. The captured image is displayed on a goggle display included in the operation tool worn by the operator U, a contact lens worn by the operator U on the eyes, or the like. The operating tool worn by the operator U on the hands, feet, arms, or the like changes the temperature or vibrates based on the sensory information. With these configurations, the operator U can experience the environment around the robot 2 at a place away from the robot 2 as if the operator U were in the robot 2.

The suitability is, for example, at least one of robot state information indicating the state of the robot while the operator U operates the robot 2 or after operating the robot 2, and operator state information indicating the state of the operator U. It is the level of the skill of the operator U operating the robot 2 or the level of resistance to remote operation (hereinafter referred to as “remote operation resistance”) determined based on the above. The remote operation resistance is, for example, the degree to which the body is less likely to be affected by the remote operation. Remote control tends to make you feel sick, tends to defocus your eyes, obscure your vision, increases your heart rate, increases blood pressure, disturbs breathing, or tends to sweat easily. Level is low.

The robot state information is, for example, the position of each part of the robot 2, the moving speed of each part of the robot 2, the moving direction of each part of the robot 2, the force (torque) generated by the robot 2, the acceleration of each part of the robot 2, or the robot 2. It is information indicating a state detected by a sensor provided in each unit of.

The operator state information is information indicating the position of each part of the operator U detected by the operation device 3, the moving speed of each part of the operator U, the moving direction of each part of the operator U, or the physical state of the operator U. .. The physical state of the operator U is, for example, the movement of the eyes of the operator U, the state of sweating, the state of breathing, the state of heartbeat, or the vibration state of the operator U, and has a correlation with the mood of the operator U. There is. When the operator U feels uncomfortable by visually observing the video transmitted from the robot 2 while operating the robot 2, the position of the eyeball becomes unstable, the amount of sweating increases, and the heart rate. Will increase. Therefore, there is a correlation between the operator status information and the level of remote operation resistance.

The operator status information may be information input by the operator using the operation device 3. For example, the operation device 3 may periodically display a screen for confirming the mood of the operator U, and acquire the information indicating the mood input by the operator U as the operator state information. Further, the amount of change in the position of the eyeball, the heart rate, the blood pressure, the respiration rate, the sweat rate, and the like are considered as an example of the operator state information indicating the mood of the operator U, but the operator state information indicating the mood is It is not limited to

Adaptability may be determined based on the amount of work that can be executed within a unit time, the accuracy of operations, the history of erroneous operations, the number of years of operation experience, etc. The aptitude may be information quantified for each category of factors that determine the aptitude, and is information that indicates the overall aptitude of the operator U determined based on the factors of all categories. May be. The suitability may be a feature of an average person that correlates with the operation ability of the robot, such as age and sex.

The outline of the operation of the management system S will be described below with reference to FIG.
The operator U moves the body while wearing the operation device 3. The operation device 3 detects the movement of the operator U's body and transmits instruction information indicating the content of the detected movement to the robot 2 ((1) in FIG. 1). Upon receiving the instruction information, the robot 2 operates based on the content of the movement indicated by the instruction information ((2) in FIG. 1).

While the operator U operates the robot 2 using the operation device 3, the robot 2 sends robot status information indicating various states of the robot 2 to the management device 1 ((3) in FIG. 1). Further, the operation device 3 transmits the operator state information indicating the state of the operator U to the management device 1 ((4) in FIG. 1).

The management device 1 determines the suitability for the operator U to operate the robot 2 based on the robot state information received from the robot 2 and the operator state information received from the operating device 3. Although details will be described later, the management device 1 indicates, for example, the movement of the robot whose robot state information is similar to the movement of the robot 2 when a person who has a lot of experience in operating the robot 2 operates the robot 2. The suitability of the operator U is increased. In addition, for example, when the operator state information indicates that the operator U is feeling unwell, the management device 1 reduces the suitability of the operator U.
Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the management device 1 will be described in detail.

[Functional Configuration of Management Device 1]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the management device 1. The management device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes an information acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a storage control unit 133.

The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data via the network N, and includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) controller. The communication unit 11 inputs the robot state information received from the robot 2 and the operator state information received from the operating device 3 to the information acquisition unit 131.

The storage unit 12 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 also stores the suitability of the operator U in association with the plurality of operators U. The storage unit 12 may store the suitability of the operator U in association with the type of the robot 2. Further, the storage unit 12 may store the suitability of the operator U in association with the content of the work using the robot 2.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operator database stored in the storage unit 12. In the operator database shown in FIG. 3, operator identification information for identifying the operator (hereinafter referred to as operator ID), the operation skill of the operator, and the remote operation resistance of the operator are associated with each other. There is.

Numerals in the operator database shown in FIG. 3 indicate the level of each operator when the operation skill and remote operation tolerance are classified into 5 levels. "5" in the operation skill column indicates that the operation skill is at the highest level, and "1" in the operation skill column indicates that the operation skill is at the lowest level. "5" in the remote operation resistance column indicates that the resistance is at the highest level, and "1" in the remote operation resistance column indicates that the resistance is at the lowest level. The operator database may include an evaluation value indicating an overall suitability based on both operation skill and remote operation tolerance.

The control unit 13 has, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 functions as the information acquisition unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the storage control unit 133 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 12.

The information acquisition unit 131 acquires state information indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U when the operator U operates the robot 2. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 131 acquires at least one of the robot state information transmitted from the robot 2 and the operator state information transmitted from the operation device 3 via the communication unit 11. The information acquisition unit 131 acquires, for example, status information indicating the mood of the operator U after the operator U has operated the robot 2 as the operator status information.

The information acquisition unit 131 notifies the determination unit 132 of the acquired robot status information and operator status information. The information acquisition unit 131 associates the acquired robot state information and the operator state information with the operator ID for identifying the operator U who is operating the robot 2 via the storage control unit 133, and the storage unit 12 May be stored in.

The information acquisition unit 131 may acquire state information indicating a plurality of states of the robot 2 or a plurality of states of the operator U when the operator U operates the robot 2 multiple times. In this case, the information acquisition unit 131 stores the robot status information or the operator status information in the storage unit 12 in association with the date and time when the robot status information or the operator status information was acquired.

The deciding unit 132 decides the suitability for the operator U to operate the robot 2 by comparing the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U indicated by the state information with a predetermined reference level. The reference level is a numerical value indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the reference operator while a large number of reference operators whose suitability has been determined are operating the robot 2. When the aptitude is classified into 5 levels as shown in FIG. 3, the reference level of the operation skill corresponding to each level is set while the reference operator corresponding to each level operates the robot 2. It is the position of each specified part of the robot 2, the moving speed of each part of the robot 2, the moving direction of each part of the robot 2, or the value detected by a sensor provided in each part of the robot 2. Further, the reference level of remote operation resistance corresponding to each level is a value indicating the remote operation resistance specified while the reference operator corresponding to each level is operating the robot 2.

The determining unit 132 determines the suitability by identifying the reference level of the operation skill that the state of the robot 2 indicated by the robot state information acquired by the information acquiring unit 131 is the closest. The determination unit 132 specifies the reference level of remote operation resistance that is the closest to the state of the operator U indicated by the operator state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 131, thereby determining the mood of the operator U indicated by the operator state information. The suitability is determined based on.

When the information acquisition unit 131 acquires state information indicating a plurality of states of the robot 2 or a plurality of states of the operator U when the operator U operates the robot 2 a plurality of times, the determination unit 132 determines that the robot 2 The aptitude degree is determined based on the plurality of states of the operator U or the plurality of states of the operator U. The determination unit 132 may determine the suitability by weighting the plurality of states based on the date and time stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the plurality of state information. The determination unit 132, for example, assigns the weight of the robot state information or the operator state information acquired at a date and time close to the time of determining the suitability to the robot state information or the operation acquired at a date and time far from the time of determining the suitability. The suitability is determined by making it larger than the weight of the person state information. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, it is possible to determine the suitability in consideration of the improvement of the skill of the operator U or the change of the physical condition.

Further, due to the difference in ease of use depending on the types of the robot 2 and the operating device 3, the difference in ease of use depending on the body of the robot 2 and the operating device 3, or the size of the communication delay time depending on the situation of the network N, etc. Ease of operation changes. Therefore, the determination unit 132 weights the plurality of states based on any one of the type of the robot 2, the type of the operation device 3, the machine identification information of the robot 2, the machine identification information of the operation device 3, or the situation of the network N. The suitability may be determined by

The determination unit 132 outputs the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U indicated by the state information to the machine learning model that outputs information indicating the suitability in response to the input of the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U. May be input and the suitability may be determined based on the information output from the machine learning model. In this machine learning model, various values indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the reference operator, which are acquired while a plurality of reference operators whose aptitude is determined in advance are operating the robot 2, are used as teacher data. It is a model created by learning.

The machine learning model described above, for each of a plurality of levels of aptitude, represents the state of the robot 2 or the state of the reference operator acquired while a large number of reference operators corresponding to each level are operating the robot 2. It is a model created by learning various numerical values shown as teacher data. The determination unit 132 inputs the robot state information or the operator state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 into such a machine learning model to easily determine what level the operator's suitability is. You can

The determination unit 132 indicates the first machine learning model that outputs information indicating the operation skill in response to the input of the state of the robot 2, and the remote operation resistance according to the input of the state of the operator U. The suitability may be determined based on the second machine learning model that outputs information. By using the first machine learning model and the second machine learning model as described above, the determining unit 132 specifies the accuracy of identifying the operation skill based on the robot state information and the remote operation tolerance based on the operator state information. The accuracy of doing can be improved.

The storage control unit 133 causes the storage unit 12 to store the robot status information and the operator status information acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 in association with the operator ID. Further, the storage control unit 133 causes the storage unit 12 to store the suitability determined by the determination unit 132 in association with the operator ID.

[Functional configuration of robot 2]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the robot 2. The robot 2 has a communication unit 21, a mechanism unit 22, a sensor unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25. The controller 25 has an instruction receiver 251, a mechanism controller 252, and a robot status transmitter 253.

The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data via the network N, and includes, for example, a wireless communication controller. The communication unit 21 receives the instruction information transmitted from the controller device 3 via the network N. In addition, the communication unit 21 transmits the robot state information indicating the state of the robot 2 to the management device 1 via the network N.

The mechanical unit 22 includes actuators of each unit of the robot 2. The mechanism unit 22 includes a mechanism member that moves under the control of the control unit 25, such as an actuator provided at a joint of each part such as a finger, a hand, a foot, a neck, and a head.

The sensor unit 23 is provided in each unit of the robot 2 and includes devices for detecting various states. The sensor unit 23 is, for example, a camera provided on the eyes of the robot 2, a microphone provided on the temporal portion of the robot 2, or a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor provided on a finger of the robot 2. The sensor unit 23 notifies the robot state transmission unit 253 of a signal indicating the state detected by each sensor.

The storage unit 24 includes a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM and a hard disk. The storage unit 24 stores the program executed by the control unit 25.

The control unit 25 has, for example, a CPU, and functions as an instruction receiving unit 251, a mechanism control unit 252, and a robot state transmitting unit 253 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 24.

The instruction receiving unit 251 receives the instruction information transmitted from the operation device 3 via the communication unit 21. The instruction receiving unit 251 notifies the mechanism control unit 252 of the received instruction information.

The mechanism control unit 252 controls each actuator included in the mechanism unit 22 based on the instruction information notified from the instruction receiving unit 251. When the mechanism control unit 252 acquires instruction information including an instruction to move the hand to the right, for example, the mechanism control unit 252 moves the hand of the robot 2 to the right by controlling an actuator provided on the hand. The mechanism control unit 252 may detect the position of each actuator after moving the mechanism unit 22 and notify the detected state to the robot state transmission unit 253.

The robot state transmission unit 253 generates robot state information indicating the state of the robot 2 based on the signal detected by the sensor unit 23 and the state of the mechanism unit 22 notified from the mechanism control unit 252. The robot state transmission unit 253 transmits the generated robot state information to the management device 1 via the communication unit 21.

[Functional configuration of operating device 3]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the operating device 3. The operation device 3 includes an operation unit 31, a detection unit 32, a communication unit 33, a display unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a control unit 36. The control unit 36 includes a state specifying unit 361, an instruction transmitting unit 362, a state transmitting unit 363, and a display control unit 364.

The operation unit 31 is a device for the operator U to operate the robot 2, and includes, for example, a member worn by the operator U and a button or a joystick operated by the operator U. The operation unit 31 notifies the state specifying unit 361 of the detected operation content performed by the operator U.

The detection unit 32 includes a sensor for detecting the state of the operator U. The detection unit 32 detects, for example, a camera that detects the position of the pupil of the operator U, a humidity sensor that detects the sweating state of the operator U, a pulse sensor that detects the heart rate of the operator U, and the blood pressure of the operator U. It includes a blood pressure sensor, a respiratory sensor that detects the respiratory rate or expiratory component of the operator U, or an acceleration sensor that detects the movement of each part of the operator U. The detection unit 32 notifies the state specifying unit 361 of the detected state of the operator U.

The communication unit 33 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data via the network N, and includes, for example, a wireless communication controller. The communication unit 33 transmits the instruction information for the robot 2 generated by the control unit 36 to the robot 2 based on the operation content of the operator U detected by the operation unit 31 via the network N. The communication unit 33 also transmits operator status information indicating the status of the operator U to the management device 1 via the network N.

The display unit 34 is a display that displays information to be visually recognized by the operator U. The display unit 34 is provided in, for example, goggles worn by the operator U.

The storage unit 35 includes a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM and a hard disk. The storage unit 35 stores the program executed by the control unit 36.

The control unit 36 has, for example, a CPU, and functions as the state specifying unit 361, the instruction transmitting unit 362, the state transmitting unit 363, and the display control unit 364 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 35.

The state identification unit 361 identifies the operation content performed by the operator U based on the signal indicating the operation content input from the operation unit 31, and based on the signal indicating the state of the operator U input from the detection unit 32. The state of the operator U is specified. The state identification unit 361 may identify the state of the operator U based on both the signal input from the operation unit 31 and the signal input from the detection unit 32. The state specifying unit 361 notifies the instruction transmitting unit 362 of the specified operation content and notifies the state transmitting unit 363 of the state of the operator U.

The instruction transmitting unit 362 generates instruction information for operating the robot 2 based on the operation content notified from the state specifying unit 361. The instruction transmitting unit 362 transmits the generated instruction information to the robot 2 via the communication unit 33.

The state transmitting unit 363 generates operator state information indicating the state of the operator U based on the state of the operator U notified from the state specifying unit 361. The state transmission unit 363 transmits the generated robot state information to the management device 1 via the communication unit 33.

The display control unit 364 creates display data to be displayed on the display unit 34. The display control unit 364 causes the display unit 34 to display the image captured by the robot 2, which is transmitted from the robot 2, for example. Further, the display control unit 364 causes the display unit 34 to display the information transmitted from the management device 1 for the operator U to visually recognize.

[Various methods for determining suitability]
Hereinafter, various methods for the management apparatus 1 to determine the suitability of the operator U will be described.
The information acquisition unit 131 notifies, for example, a predetermined test scenario to the operator U, and indicates the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U when the operator U operates the robot 2 based on the test scenario. Get status information. The test scenario is information that defines the content and timing of the operation performed by the operator U in order to determine the suitability of the operator U by the management device 1. In the test scenario, the content and timing of the operation suitable for evaluating the suitability of the operator U are defined.

The information acquisition unit 131 transmits, for example, a test scenario to the operation device 3, and the operation device 3 should be operated by the operator U based on the content of the operation and the operation timing indicated by the received test scenario. The content is displayed so that the operator U can visually recognize it. The information acquisition unit 131 uses the robot state information indicating the state of the robot 2 while the operator U is operating or the state of the operator U based on the test scenario including the operation content necessary for determining the suitability. By acquiring the operator state information indicating the, the determining unit 132 can efficiently determine the suitability.

Note that instead of using the robot state information or the operator state information when the operator U actually operates the robot 2 when the determination unit 132 determines the suitability of the operator U based on the test scenario. The robot state information or the operator state information specified based on the movement of the virtual robot estimated by assuming that the operator U has operated the virtual robot may be used. For example, the determination unit 132 determines the suitability based on robot state information or operator state information obtained when the operator U operates a virtual robot in the simulation environment using the simulation environment for operating the robot 2. You may decide.

Also, when the surrounding state of the robot 2 is abnormal, the robot 2 may make a movement contrary to the intention of the operator U. For example, when a person enters within the range where the robot 2 moves, the robot 2 stops so as not to collide with the person. Further, there are cases where the robot 2 cannot properly grab an article when the article that the robot 2 is trying to grab is abnormal or when the work content is not properly presented to the operator U. The determination unit 132 may determine the suitability based on the surrounding state of the robot 2 so that the suitability of the operator U is not lowered due to the robot 2 making such a movement.

Specifically, the determination unit 132 does not use the state information indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U while the state around the robot 2 operated by the operator U is in an abnormal state. The suitability is determined by using the state information indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U performed while the surrounding state is normal. Since the determination unit 132 operates in this way, the suitability of the operator U does not decrease when the robot 2 performs a motion contrary to the operation of the operator U. Therefore, the accuracy of the suitability determined by the determination unit 132 is improved. improves.

When there are a plurality of robots 2 to be operated by the operator U, the information acquisition unit 131 uses the robot identification information (hereinafter, referred to as “robot ID”) for identifying the robot 2 operated by the operator U. The determination unit 132 may determine the suitability of the operator U for each robot 2 by associating the robot state information or the operator state information with each other. In this case, the storage control unit 133 stores the suitability in the storage unit 12 in association with the robot IDs of the plurality of different robots 2.

In this way, the suitability of the operator U is stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the robot ID, so that when there are a plurality of robots 2 of different types, the operator U uses the optimum robot 2. It will be possible. For example, the administrator who manages the work performed by the operator U using the robot 2 assigns the robot 2 that the operator U can safely operate based on the suitability thus determined. You can The deciding unit 132 may select a robot 2 in which the suitability of the operator U is equal to or higher than a predetermined level from among a plurality of robots 2 registered in advance and present it to the user. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, the administrator can easily select the robot 2 suitable for the operator U.

The determination unit 132 may determine the suitability in association with the type of work performed by the operator U. The type of work is based on factors such as the magnitude of force required to move the robot 2 and the accuracy of movement, such as a work for transporting an object, a work for assembling an object, and a work for caring for a person. Are classified as. The determining unit 132 determines the suitability for the work based on the robot state information or the operator state information acquired by the information acquiring unit 131 while performing the specific work. The determination unit 132 causes the storage unit 12 to store the aptitude level in association with the type of work via the storage control unit 133. By the determination unit 132 thus determining the suitability for each type of work, the administrator who manages the work performed by the operator U using the robot 2 can assign the work suitable for the operator U. become.

The determination unit 132 may determine the suitability in association with the combination of the environment in which the operator U works and the robot 2 used for the work. The environment in which the operator U works is indicated by factors that affect work efficiency, such as brightness, temperature, and humidity. For example, when a certain operator U works in a bright environment, the determination unit 132 makes the suitability for the second robot 2 higher than the suitability for the first robot 2, and the operator U in a dark environment. When working, the suitability for the first robot 2 is made higher than the suitability for the second robot 2. By the determination unit 132 determining the suitability for each type of work in this manner, the operator U can use the optimal robot 2 according to the operating environment.

[Functions that use fitness]
(Selection of robot 2)
The determination unit 132 can execute various processes based on the determined suitability. As an example, the determination unit 132 selects one or more robots 2 that permit the operator U to operate from the plurality of robots 2 based on the suitability and the robot ID stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the operator ID. select. The determination unit 132 selects the robot 2 that generates a large torque or operates at a high speed when the operator U having a high suitability operates, for example, as compared with the case where the operator U having a low suitability operates. To do. The deciding unit 132 displays the information for specifying the selected robot 2 on a display (not shown) or transmits the information to an external device connected via the network N, so that the operator U makes the robot 2. The administrator who manages the work performed by using the (1) can assign an appropriate robot 2 to the operator U.

(Scenario selection)
Further, the determination unit 132 may select one or more scenarios from a plurality of scenarios used when operating the robot 2, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the operator ID. The scenario is information in which the elapsed time from the reference time and the operation content of the robot 2 are associated with each other. The reference time is, for example, the time when the robot 2 starts the operation, but is not limited to this, and may be another time such as the time when the user who operates the robot 2 performs a predetermined operation.

A plurality of scenarios differ in, for example, the operation content of the robot 2 included in each and the length of time for operating the robot 2. For the operator U having low operation skill, the determining unit 132 sets a scenario (for example, a scenario in which the robot 2 is not likely to collide with other articles) that does not include the operation content that requires a high skill. select. The deciding unit 132 selects, for the operator U having high operation skill, a scenario (for example, a scenario in which the robot 2 operates at high speed) including an operation content that requires a high skill.

For the operator who feels uncomfortable if the robot 2 is operated for a long time, the determination unit 132 determines that the operation time of the robot 2 is longer than the operation time when the operator U starts to feel uncomfortable. Also choose a short scenario. The deciding unit 132 may select, for the operator U who is prone to an accident, a scenario including work having a high tolerance for the accident. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, it is possible to prevent problems when the operator U operates the robot 2 in advance.

(Selection of operating device 3)
Further, the determination unit 132 selects one or more operation devices 3 from the plurality of operation devices 3 used when operating the robot 2, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the operator ID. May be. For example, for the operator U having low operation skill, the determining unit 132 selects the operating device 3 that is expensive but easy to operate, or selects the operating device 3 that is easy to operate although the operation content is limited. To do For the operator U who tends to feel uncomfortable, the determining unit 132 selects the operating device 3 having a low moving image frame rate and a small moving speed of the moving image on the screen viewed by the operator U, or feels uncomfortable. For example, the operation device 3 having a screen having a size that is difficult to be selected is selected. The determination unit 132 operates in this manner, so that the operator U can perform the best operation.

(Restriction of movement of robot 2)
The deciding unit 132 decides an action that can be executed by the robot 2 when the operator U operates the robot 2 based on the aptitude, and the contents of the decided action for the robot 2 that the operator U operates. May be transmitted. For example, when the operator U having low operation skill operates the robot 2, the determining unit 132 determines the maximum speed at which the robot 2 can move the hand, and when the operator U having high operation skill operates the robot 2. Compared with this, the torque is reduced or the torque when the robot 2 moves the hand is reduced.

The determination unit 132 may determine the part that the robot 2 can move based on the suitability of the operator U. The determination unit 132 allows, for example, a person having a skill higher than a reference level to move all the movable parts of the robot 2, and a person having a skill lower than the reference level allows only a part (eg, hand) to move. .. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, it is possible to reduce the risk of an accident when the operator U performs an inappropriate operation.

In addition, when the suitability of the operator U is not specified in advance (for example, when the suitability of the operator U is not stored in the storage unit 12), the determining unit 132 performs the action that the robot 2 can execute. The robot U may be limited to operations that can be executed when the operator U having the lowest suitability operates. Even if the suitability of the operator U has not been specified in advance, the determination unit 132, based on the experience of using the action that can be executed by the robot 2 if there is experience of using the robot 2 in the past. The robot U may be limited to operations that can be executed when the operator U having the estimated suitability operates.

The deciding unit 132 may display information indicating an operation range that the operator U can execute on the operation device 3 or the information terminal of the operator U when limiting the operations that the robot 2 can execute in this way. The determination unit 132 may display the information indicating the operation range executable by the operator U on the operating device 3 or the information terminal of the operator U in association with the information indicating the suitability of the operator U.

(Assistance according to suitability)
Based on the suitability of the operator U, the determination unit 132 selects auxiliary content to be notified to the operator U when the operator U operates the robot 2, and provides the operator U with data indicating the selected auxiliary content. You may notify. The auxiliary content is, for example, text or image content related to how to move each part of the body of the operator U. The auxiliary content may include other information such as sound information or tactile information. The auxiliary content is stored in the storage unit 12 or a storage medium outside the management device 1 in association with the suitability. The determination unit 132 transmits the auxiliary content to the operation device 3 or the information terminal used by the operator U so that the operator U can view and listen to the information. The operator U can operate the robot 2 more properly by operating while viewing the auxiliary content displayed on the operation device 3, for example.

The determining unit 132 determines, as the auxiliary content, content indicating the operation content when another operator U having a higher suitability than the suitability of the operator U operates the robot 2. The operation content includes information indicating a position to move at least a part of the body such as a finger, a hand, a foot, a torso, a head, or an eye, and a timing of the movement. The determining unit 132, for example, the auxiliary content indicating the operation content acquired when another operator U having an aptitude level one step higher than the aptitude level of the operator U performed the same work in the past, is an operation device. Display in 3. The determination unit 132 may display an image showing how another operator U is operating on the operation device 3 as auxiliary content.

The determination unit 132 may change the mode of notifying the operator U of the auxiliary content based on the suitability. For example, when the operator U having low operation skill is operating, the determination unit 132 selects the auxiliary content displayed on the operation device 3 in a manner that the operator U can always visually recognize. On the other hand, when the operator U having a high operation skill is operating, the determination unit 132 can be visually recognized by the operator U only when the operator U makes a wrong operation or when the operator U stops the operation. The auxiliary content displayed on the operation device 3 is selected.

Further, the determining unit 132 may determine the presentation mode of the auxiliary content based on the remote operation resistance of the operator U indicated by the suitability. The determination unit 132, for example, when the operator U who is likely to feel sick operates, the frame rate of the moving image displayed on the operating device 3 compared to when the operator U who does not feel sick is operating. To slow down the movement of auxiliary content.

The determination unit 132 may determine the presentation mode of the image other than the auxiliary content based on the remote operation resistance of the operator U indicated by the suitability. For example, when the operator U who is apt to feel sick is operating the determination unit 132, the determination unit 132 is more likely to operate the image captured by the robot 2 than when the operator U is apt to feel sick. The frame rate at the time of displaying in 3 is reduced, or the image size is reduced. By changing the mode in which the determination unit 132 allows the operator U to visually recognize the image based on the remote operation resistance, it is possible to prevent the operator U from feeling unwell while operating the robot 2. ..

(Determination of remuneration amount based on suitability)
The determination unit 132 may determine the reward amount for the operator U based on the suitability. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 131 further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator U operating the robot 2, and the determination unit 132 the business information acquired by the information acquisition unit 131. The reward amount for the operator U is determined based on the content of the work and the suitability. The information acquisition unit 131 acquires business information corresponding to the business executed by the operator U from, for example, an external computer that manages a plurality of business information.

The determination unit 132 determines the relationship between the statistical value such as the average value or the median of the aptitudes of the plurality of operators U stored in the storage unit 12 and the aptitude of the operator U that is the target for determining the remuneration amount. The amount of reward may be determined based on this. When the suitability value of the operator U, which is a target for determining the remuneration amount, is larger than the statistical value of the suitability of the plurality of operators U, the determination unit 132 sets the remuneration amount of the operator U to the average remuneration amount. Higher than. On the other hand, when the suitability value of the operator U, which is a target for determining the reward amount, is smaller than the statistical value of the suitability degree of the plurality of operators U, the determining unit 132 sets the value lower than the average reward amount. Since the determination unit 132 determines the reward amount in this way, the higher the suitability is, the higher the reward amount is, and thus the operator U is easily motivated to improve the suitability.

The determining unit 132 may determine the reward amount based on the number of operators U corresponding to each level of suitability. For example, the determination unit 132 increases the reward amount of the operator U as the number of the operators U having the suitability higher than the suitability of the operator U decreases. By the determination unit 132 determining the reward amount of the operator U in this manner, the motivation for the operator U to improve the suitability improves. Further, since the operator U is motivated to use the robot 2 having a high suitability for himself or to perform the work having a high suitability for himself, the operator U works with the robot 2. In this case, work efficiency and safety are improved.

Further, the determining unit 132 may determine a reward amount for collecting data indicating the operation content acquired by the operation device 3 when the operator U operates. The deciding unit 132 decides a reward amount as a data usage fee when the operator U agrees to collect data indicating the operation content. At this time, the determination unit 132 may increase the reward amount as the suitability of the operator U increases.

Further, the determination unit 132 may determine the amount of reward given to the operator U when the collected data is used. In this case, the determination unit 132 determines the reward amount, for example, based on the number of times the collected data is used or the length of time used. The collected data is used, for example, as auxiliary data presented to another operator U when the other operator U operates.

(Selection of operator U based on suitability)
The determination unit 132 may determine the operator U who uses the robot 2 to perform a task based on the suitability. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 131 further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator U operating the robot 2, and the determination unit 132 determines that the plurality of operations corresponding to the plurality of operators U have been executed. Based on the aptitude of the operator U, one or more operators are selected from the plurality of operators U to perform the job content indicated by the job information. The determination unit 132 selects, for example, an operator U having an operation skill corresponding to the degree of difficulty of the work content. The determination unit 132 may select the operator U who is assumed not to feel sick during the duration of the task of operating the robot 2. Since the determining unit 132 selects the operator U based on the suitability as described above, the operator U suitable for performing the job can be selected, so that the efficiency of the job is improved.

The determination unit 132 determines the suitability required for the operator U who operates the robot 2 based on the situation of the robot 2, and operates the robot 2 from the plurality of operators U based on the determined suitability. The operator U may be selected. For example, when the first operator U having a relatively low suitability has a problem during manufacturing of an article by using the robot 2, the determination unit 132 has a higher suitability than the first operator U. The second operator U is selected, and information for identifying the selected second operator U is transmitted to the external device. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, the work manager can cause the second operator U to perform the work instead of the first operator U.

The determination unit 132 may select the operator U who operates the robot 2 from the plurality of operators U based on the suitability determined based on the location of the robot 2. For example, when the determination unit 132 determines that the robot 2 is in front of the entrance of the store, the determination unit 132 selects the operator U suitable for the work as the guardman of the store. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, the operator U suitable for the work can perform the work.

(Determination of surrounding environment that allows operation based on suitability)
The determination unit 132 may determine an environmental condition that allows the operator U to operate the robot 2 and affects the operability of the robot 2, based on the suitability. The environmental conditions that affect the operability of the robot 2 are, for example, the communication quality of the communication line between the operating device 3 and the robot 2, the illuminance around the operating device 3 or the robot 2, or the operator U It is the time zone to operate. The communication quality is, for example, the size of delay time or the size of data error rate.

The deciding unit 132 permits the operator U to operate the robot 2, for example, the higher the suitability of the operator U is, even if the communication quality of the communication line is poor. The determination unit 132 notifies at least one of the operation device 3 and the robot 2 about the information regarding whether or not the operator U permits the robot 2 to be operated. When the robot 2 receives the notification that the operator U does not permit the robot 2 to operate, the robot 2 does not operate even if the instruction information is received from the operation device 3 operated by the operator U.

Further, the determination unit 132 may allow the operator U to operate the robot 2 under the condition that the periphery of the operating device 3 or the robot 2 is poorer as the suitability of the operator U is higher. The poor condition is, for example, a dark state, a state where the noise level around is high, or a state where the noise level is high because the sensor of the robot 2 is wet. When the suitability of the operator U is equal to or higher than the threshold level, the determining unit 132 allows the operator U to operate the robot 2 in a time zone where there is no person to assist when a trouble occurs, such as a night time zone. You may permit to do so.

(Decision of business plan based on suitability)
The determination unit 132 refers to the plurality of aptitudes corresponding to the plurality of operators U stored in the storage unit 12 to determine the order or time at which one or more operators U perform the operation of the robot 2. You may decide. For example, the determination unit 132 decomposes the work performed by the plurality of operators U in cooperation with each other into a plurality of works, and determines the order or time at which the plurality of works should be executed. Further, the determination unit 132 specifies the skill and the degree of remote operation resistance required for each of the plurality of tasks. The determining unit 132 selects one or more operators U having an aptitude that satisfies the skill and the remote operation tolerance required for each of the plurality of tasks, and assigns the selected operator U to each of the plurality of tasks. In this way, the determination unit 132 determines the order or time at which the plurality of operators U perform the work.

The determining unit 132 may determine the length of time for each operator U to perform the work and the length of the break time between the plurality of works, based on the remote operation resistance of the operator U. For example, when a certain operator U starts to feel sick after continuing work A for 2 hours and the feeling of sickness disappears after a 30-minute break, the determining unit 132 executes work A for 2 hours, Create a scenario in which work A is executed for 2 hours after a break of 1 minute. The deciding unit 132 may execute the work A for two hours, and then may execute the work B that does not make the user feel worse than the work A.

The deciding unit 132 may, for example, shorten the time during which the operator U who is likely to feel unwell continues to work than the time during which the operator U who is less likely to feel ill continue to work. The determination unit 132 may lengthen the break time of the operator U who is likely to feel bad and shorten the break time of the operator U who is less likely to feel bad. The determination unit 132 may set the time for the operator U to continuously perform a work that does not make him feel worse than the time for the operator U to continuously perform a work that makes him feel bad.

The determining unit 132 may determine the content and order of the work so that the operator U performs the second work, which is easier than the first work, after the operator U performs the first work having a high difficulty level. When the first work is a work that is difficult with respect to the suitability of the operator U, the determining unit 132 can easily perform the work with respect to the suitability of the operator U after the operator U has performed the first work. Decide to perform a second task. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, it is possible to prevent the operator U from being excessively loaded or the operator U's margin being too large.

When there are a plurality of operators U who can handle the same work, the determination unit 132 creates a plurality of plans in which the combinations of the operators U assigned to the plurality of works are different, and the work efficiency is relatively high. May be selected. A plan with high work efficiency is a plan in which the amount of work executed in a predetermined time is relatively high, or a plan in which the same work is executed in the same time has relatively high quality.

In order to select such a plan, the determination unit 132, for example, determines the degree of skill and remote operation tolerance required for each work, and the skill and remote operation indicated by the suitability of the operator U in charge of each work. A plan with a large difference between the tolerance level and all work is selected preferentially. In this way, the determining unit 132 allocates the plurality of operators U in charge of the plurality of tasks included in the task to be executed based on the suitability of the plurality of operators U, thereby improving the efficiency of the task. it can.

The determining unit 132, for example, as an operator who concentrates the line of sight on one point and performs a work that requires a fine hand movement, or a work in which the robot 2 does not move and the view is fast and does not move greatly, An operator U having relatively high skill to operate the robot 2 and relatively low remote operation resistance is selected. The deciding unit 132 does not require a fine movement, but requires a large head movement, a large block that is not easily broken, is moved by a hand and moved to another place at a high speed, or the video content is not moved. The operator U who has a relatively low skill to operate the robot 2 and a relatively high remote operation resistance is selected as an operator who enjoys playing.

(Use of suitability for other work)
The determination unit 132 is used for various determinations when the operator U performs other work associated with the specific work based on the suitability for the operator U to perform the specific work. Good. The other work associated with the specific work is a work including an action similar to the specific work, a work including the specific work, or the like. For example, when carrying out the work of carrying an object, the work of grasping the product also occurs. Therefore, the determination unit 132 may treat the suitability of the operator U for the work of carrying the object as the same suitability as the suitability of the operator U for the work of grasping the object.

(Demand and supply situation between the operator U and the robot 2)
The determination unit 132 may estimate the supply and demand situation of the operator U and the robot 2 based on the suitability, and transmit the estimated result to the external device. In order to estimate the supply and demand situation, the determining unit 132 first calculates the number of operators U who have the aptitude to operate each of the plurality of robots 2. Subsequently, one or more robots 2 required to execute the work are selected. Then, the number of operators U who can operate the selected one or more robots 2 is specified. The determination unit 132 transmits the specified number of operators U to the external device. By the determination unit 132 operating in this manner, the work manager can grasp how many operators U can be secured.

The determining unit 132 may calculate the number of robots 2 that can be used by the plurality of operators U based on the suitability of the plurality of operators U who perform the work. When the number of robots 2 is insufficient, the determination unit 132 specifies the type and the number of robots 2 required for the plurality of operators U to perform the work, and transmits the specified type and the number to the external device. Good. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, the work manager can know what kind of robot 2 and how many robots should be procured.

(Providing data showing suitability)
The determination unit 132 may provide the determined suitability to a third party (for example, another company) by transmitting the data to the external device. The determination unit 132 transmits data indicating the suitability in association with the information for identifying the operator U, for example. The determining unit 132 may determine the consideration based on the number of data to be provided. The third party who receives the data can grasp the character or ability of the operator U based on the provided data.

[Instruction to Robot 2]
In the above description, it is assumed that the robot 2 operates based on the instruction information transmitted from the operation device 3, but the robot 2 operates based on the instruction information transmitted from the management device 1. May be.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the management system S when the management device 1 transmits instruction information to the robot 2. The process shown in FIG. 6 is a process performed after the suitability of the operator U is determined.

The operation device 3 transmits instruction information based on the operation content performed by the operator U to the management device 1 instead of the robot 2 ((1) in FIG. 6). Upon receiving the instruction information, the management device 1 refers to the predetermined suitability of the operator U ((2) in FIG. 6) and corrects the instruction information based on the suitability ((3) in FIG. 6). ). Details of the method by which the management device 1 corrects the instruction information will be described later.

The management device 1 transmits the corrected instruction information generated by correcting the instruction information to the robot 2 ((4) in FIG. 6). The corrected instruction information corresponds to the instruction information when another operator having a higher suitability than the operator U operates, and the robot 2 operates based on the corrected instruction information to perform the operation. The operation can be performed better than the case where the apparatus 3 operates based on the instruction information generated. The robot 2 operates based on the received corrected instruction information ((5) in FIG. 6).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the management device 1 in which the management device 1 transmits the corrected instruction information to the robot 2. In this case, the management device 1 acquires the operation content of the operator U and corrects the operation content based on the suitability to create instruction information for operating the robot 2, and the created instruction information is used by the robot. 2 is the same as the management apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The instruction transmission unit 134 corrects the operation content acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 from the operation device 3, for example. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores the operation content performed when the reference operator causes the robot 2 to perform various operations corresponding to each of the plurality of aptitudes.

Specifically, the instruction transmitting unit 134 first identifies the movement that the operator U is trying to make the robot 2 execute, based on the operation content of the operator U acquired from the operation device 3. Subsequently, the instruction transmitting unit 134 determines that the operation content of the operator U acquired from the operation device 3 is more suitable than the operator U for the work corresponding to the operation content of the operator U acquired from the operation device 3. The reference operation contents performed when a high reference operator executes the work are replaced. The instruction transmitting unit 134 may specify the difference between the operation content of the operator U acquired from the operation device 3 and the reference operation content, and correct the operation content of the operator U so that the specified difference becomes small. ..

For example, when the instruction transmitting unit 134 specifies that the operation content of the operator U is an operation of grasping an article in a space narrower than the width of the hand of the robot 2, the angle at which the hand of the robot 2 fits in the space. The instruction information including the operation contents of rotating the hand is created. If the hand of the robot 2 collides with the walls on both sides of the space without correction, the instruction transmitting unit 134 corrects the operation contents in this way, so that the hand of the robot 2 does not collide with the wall. It becomes possible to grab an article and work efficiency is improved.

The instruction transmitting unit 134 may correct the operation content so that the robot 2 operates faster than the operation speed of the operator U. In addition, the instruction transmitting unit 134 may correct the operation content so that the robot 2 operates with higher accuracy than the position operated by the operator U.

In this way, the instruction transmitting unit 134 creates instruction information by correcting the operation content of the operator U acquired from the operation device 3 based on the suitability, and operates the robot 2 based on the created instruction information. By doing so, it is possible to cause the robot 2 to perform the same operation as a case where another operator having an aptitude degree higher than the aptitude degree of the operator U operates, even though the operator U is operating. become.

The instruction transmitting unit 134 may calculate a safety degree that correlates with the probability that an accident does not occur, based on the operation content by the operator U, and correct the operation content to increase the safety degree. The degree of safety is calculated based on, for example, the concentration of the operator U, the absolute ability of the operator U, the intensity of motion sickness of the operator U, and the degree of fatigue of the operator U. The instruction transmitting unit 134 invalidates the instruction information transmitted from the operation device 3 in order to increase the safety level, thereby stopping the operation of the robot 2, reducing the operation speed indicated by the instruction information, and the robot. The operation contents are corrected so as to narrow the moving range of each part of 2.

The instruction transmitting unit 134 may determine the correction content based on the environment around the robot 2. The instruction transmitting unit 134 changes the threshold value for determining that correction is necessary, for example, when a person or an object exists within the movable range of the robot 2 and when there is no person or an object within the movable range. Thus, the operation content is corrected so as to further enhance the safety level when a person or an object exists within the movable range. The instruction transmitting unit 134 may change the threshold value that determines that the correction is necessary based on the difficulty of the work. The instruction transmitting unit 134, for example, when the operator U performs a difficult work, makes the correction easier than when the operator U performs an easy work. By the instruction transmitting unit 134 operating in this way, the operator U can easily perform difficult work.

The instruction transmitting unit 134 may transmit a message notifying that the operation content is restricted to the operation device 3 before correcting the operation content. By the instruction transmitting unit 134 thus operating, it is possible to prevent the operator U from having a suspicion that the robot 2 does not operate as the operator U has operated. Further, the instruction transmitting unit 134 may transmit a message prompting the operator U to take a break to the operation device 3 before correcting the operation content. The instruction transmitting unit 134 can improve the state of the operator U by transmitting such a message.

In the above description based on FIGS. 6 and 7, the operating device 3 does not send the instruction information to the robot 2 but sends the instruction information to the management device 1, but the operating device 3 instructs the robot 2 to send the instruction information. It is possible to switch between the case of directly transmitting the information and the case of transmitting the instruction information to the robot 2 via the management device 1. The operation device 3 acquires information indicating the suitability of the operator U from the management device 1, and transmits the instruction information to the robot 2 on condition that the suitability of the operator U is less than a predetermined level. Instead, the instruction information is transmitted to the management device 1. In this case, when the suitability is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the controller device 3 does not transmit the instruction information to the management device 1, but directly transmits the instruction information to the robot 2. When the operating device 3 operates in this manner, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a delay due to the correction process when the operator U having a high aptitude operates, and the operator U having a high aptitude operates. The operation content of the robot 2 can be improved.

[Limitation of the movement of the robot 2 based on the state of the operator U]
The determination unit 132 may periodically determine whether or not the operator U may continue the operation while the operator U is operating the robot 2. Specifically, the determination unit 132 periodically transmits confirmation data (for example, a confirmation screen) for confirming whether or not the operator U is not feeling sick to the operation device 3. Based on the response information received from, it is confirmed whether the operator U is not feeling sick.

The response information is, for example, information input by the operator U himself who visually recognizes the confirmation screen, or information indicating the operation of the operator U after visually confirming the confirmation screen. The determining unit 132 may determine that there is a high probability that the operator U is feeling sick when the time from transmitting the confirmation data to receiving the response information is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, when the determining unit 132 determines that the operator U is starting to feel sick, the determining unit 132 causes the operating device 3 to display a screen including information for instructing to stop the operation.

The determination unit 132 may determine the determination interval based on the suitability (particularly, the degree of change in mood after the same operation), and for example, the lower the suitability, the shorter the determination time interval may be. By the determination unit 132 operating in this way, the frequency of causing the operator U having a high aptitude to perform a complicated operation for confirming the unpleasantness is reduced, and the operator U having a low aptitude is reduced. It is possible to easily prevent a situation where the robot 2 should not be operated.

When the deciding unit 132 detects that the operator U is starting to feel sick, the instruction transmitting unit 134 may limit the function of the operator U to operate the robot 2. The instruction transmitting unit 134 transmits to the robot 2, for example, an instruction to limit the speed at which the operator U can move the robot 2 to a predetermined speed or less, or to limit the moving range of the part of the robot 2.

The deciding unit 132 may decide to cancel the operation when the suitability falls below the reference value as a result of periodically judging whether or not the operation may be continued. In this case, the instruction transmitting unit 134 transmits, for example, instruction information for not operating the robot 2 to the robot 2, and also transmits the prohibition of the operation to the operation device 3. The instruction transmitting unit 134 may transmit, to the robot 2, the determining unit 132, when the suitability is equal to or higher than the reference value, instruction information that permits the robot 2 to perform an operation.

The determination unit 132 continues the operation to the operator U based on the relationship between the aptitude of the operator U immediately before the operator U starts the operation and the aptitude during the operation of the operator U. You may decide whether or not to allow it. The deciding unit 132, for example, when the suitability of the operator U during operation is lower than the suitability of the operator U immediately before the operator U starts the operation by a threshold value or more, the operator U Decide to cancel the operation.

[Robot 2 profile setting]
The determination unit 132 determines the profile of the robot 2 based on the content of the work performed by the operator U using the robot 2 and the suitability of the operator U, and the robot operates so as to operate based on the determined profile. You may instruct 2. The profile is information that defines the operation specifications of the robot 2, for example, information that defines the operation speed, maximum torque, and usable sensor type of the robot 2.

When the operator U performs a work of arranging articles on shelves in a retail store, the determination unit 132 sets, for the robot 2, a profile selected based on the suitability of the operator U from among a plurality of profiles for the work. Send. When working on a construction site, the determination unit 132 determines the suitability of the operator U among a plurality of profiles for construction work that can move with a torque larger than the profile used for work at a retail store. The profile selected based on this is transmitted to the robot 2. By the determination unit 132 thus operating, the robot 2 can be operated in a state suitable for the work performed by the operator U.

[Display status of operator U]
The control unit 13 of the management device 1 may further include a display control unit that causes the display device (for example, another computer) to display the status of each of the plurality of operators U. The display control unit displays the level of the operator U on the display device for each element such as the suitability of the operator U, the productivity, the accident history, and the operation experience stored in the storage unit 12. The display control unit may cause the display device to display information indicating a state of whether the operator U is operating the robot 2. The display control unit causes the display device to display information indicating whether or not the operator U is operating the robot 2 in association with the suitability of the operator U, for example. By the display control unit operating in this manner, the administrator or the like who uses the management apparatus 1 can grasp the business situations and capabilities of the plurality of operators U, so that It becomes easy to determine the work content requested to the operator U based on the ability.

[Effects of the management system S]
As described above, the management device 1 compares the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U with a predetermined reference level based on the state information indicating the state of the robot 2 or the state of the operator U. Accordingly, the determination unit 132 that determines the suitability for the operator U to operate the robot 2 is provided. Since the management device 1 has such a determination unit 132, the operator U is not subjectively evaluated based on the contents visually recognized by the evaluator who evaluates the operator U, but based on objective data. The suitability of the operator U is determined. As a result, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the suitability of the operator U who operates the robot 2.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. is there. For example, a specific embodiment of device distribution/integration is not limited to the above embodiment, and all or a part of the device may be functionally or physically distributed/integrated in arbitrary units. You can Further, a new embodiment that occurs due to an arbitrary combination of a plurality of embodiments is also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment produced by the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 management device 2 robot 3 operation device 11 communication unit 12 storage unit 13 control unit 21 communication unit 22 mechanism unit 23 sensor unit 24 storage unit 25 control unit 31 operation unit 32 detection unit 33 communication unit 34 display unit 35 storage unit 36 control unit 131 information acquisition unit 132 determination unit 133 storage control unit 134 instruction transmission unit 251 instruction reception unit 252 mechanism control unit 253 robot state transmission unit 361 state identification unit 362 instruction transmission unit 363 state transmission unit 364 display control unit

Claims

A management device for managing an operator who operates a robot,
An information acquisition unit for acquiring state information indicating the state of the robot or the state of the operator when the operator operates the robot;
By comparing the state of the robot or the state of the operator indicated by the state information with a predetermined reference level, a determination unit that determines the suitability for the operator to operate the robot,
A storage control unit that stores the suitability in a storage unit in association with operator identification information for identifying the operator;
Management device having.
The information acquisition unit acquires a plurality of states of the robot or a plurality of states of the operator when the operator operates the robot a plurality of times,
The determination unit determines the suitability based on a plurality of states of the robot or a plurality of states of the operator indicated by the state information,
The management device according to claim 1.
The determination unit is a machine learning model that outputs information indicating the suitability in response to the state of the robot or the state of the operator being input, and the state of the robot or the operator indicated by the state information. Input the state of, and determine the suitability based on the information output from the machine learning model,
The management device according to claim 1.
The information acquisition unit, as the state of the operator, acquires the state information indicating the mood of the operator after the operator operates the robot,
The determination unit determines the suitability based on the mood of the operator indicated by the state information,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The information acquisition unit notifies the operator of a predetermined test scenario, and indicates the state of the robot or the state of the operator when the operator operates the robot based on the test scenario. Get status information,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The determination unit does not use the state information indicating the state of the robot or the state of the operator while the state of the robot operated by the operator is in an abnormal state, and the state around the robot. Is determined while using the state information indicating the state of the robot or the state of the operator performed while in a normal state,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The storage control unit stores the aptitude degree in the storage unit in association with robot identification information that identifies a plurality of different robots.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The determination unit is configured to allow the operator to operate from the plurality of robots based on the suitability and the robot identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information. Choose a robot,
The management device according to claim 7.
The determination unit selects one or more scenarios from a plurality of scenarios used when operating the robot, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The determination unit selects one or more operation devices from a plurality of operation devices used when operating the robot, based on the suitability stored in the storage unit in association with the operator identification information,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The determination unit determines, based on the suitability, an action that the robot can perform when the operator operates the robot, and determines the action determined for the robot that the operator operates. Send data indicating the content,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The determining unit selects an auxiliary content to be notified to the operator when the operator operates the robot based on the suitability, and notifies the operator of data indicating the selected auxiliary content,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The determination unit selects, as the auxiliary content, content indicating an operation content when another operator having a suitability higher than the suitability of the operator operates the robot.
The management device according to claim 12.
The determination unit determines a presentation mode of the auxiliary content based on the resistance of the operator to remote operation indicated by the suitability.
The management device according to claim 12 or 13.
The determination unit determines an environmental condition that allows the operator to operate the robot based on the suitability, and that affects the operability of the robot.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
The information acquisition unit further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator operating the robot,
The determination unit determines a reward amount for the operator based on the content of the business indicated by the business information and the suitability.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.
The information acquisition unit further acquires business information indicating the content of the business executed by the operator operating the robot,
The determining unit selects, from the plurality of operators, one or more operators who perform a task indicated by the task information, based on the plurality of aptitudes corresponding to the plurality of operators.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.
The determination unit determines the order or time at which each of the one or more operators performs an operation of the robot by referring to the plurality of aptitudes stored in the storage unit,
The management device according to claim 17.
An instruction to create instruction information for operating the robot by acquiring the operation content of the operator and correcting the operation content based on the suitability, and an instruction to transmit the created instruction information to the robot Further having a transmitter,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.
The display control unit further displays information indicating whether or not the operator is operating the robot in association with the suitability of the operator determined by the determination unit, on the information terminal.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 19.
A management method for managing an operator who operates a robot, which is executed by a computer,
A step of acquiring state information indicating a state of the robot or a state of the operator when the operator operates the robot;
Determining the suitability for the operator to operate the robot by comparing the state of the robot or the state of the operator indicated by the state information with a predetermined reference level;
Storing the suitability in a storage unit in association with operator identification information for identifying the operator,
Management method having.
A robot,
An operating device used by an operator to operate the robot,
A management device for managing the operator,
Equipped with
The operating device is
An instruction transmitting unit that transmits instruction information indicating the content operated by the operator to the robot,
An operator status transmitting unit that transmits operator status information indicating a status of the operator when the operator operates, to the management device;
Have
The robot is
An instruction receiving unit for receiving the instruction information,
A mechanism control unit that controls the mechanism based on the instruction information,
A robot state transmission unit that transmits robot state information indicating the state of the robot after the mechanism control unit controls the mechanism to the management device;
Have
The management device is
An information acquisition unit that acquires the robot status information or the operator status information indicating the status of the robot when the operator operates the robot;
By comparing the state of the robot indicated by the robot state information or the state of the operator indicated by the operator state information with a predetermined reference level, it is possible to determine the suitability for the operator to operate the robot. A decision part to decide,
A storage control unit that stores the suitability in a storage unit in association with operator identification information for identifying the operator;
Management system having.